My Supports

I live with my three children in a farm community. My husband works out of state and has for many years. He is gone for long periods of time. I remember one time it was three months before we got to see him. With this being said I have him as a support but mostly as a mental and emotional support. In my daily life the types of supports I have are my alarm clock, my children, my animals, my phone, my notes, and things around the house. My alarm clock helps me get up in the morning so I can get the kids ready to go to school. S,o I guess the clocks in the house are a support because they keep me on schedule. My children are a support because they remind me of things that need to be done for them and things I need to do with them. My animals are not only a schedule reminder but they are there for fun, enjoyment and emotional support. When you are having a rough day a dog is so nice to have because petting and loving them helps you relax. My phone is my calendar because it reminds me of appointments and other events. I would also have to add that the calendars in the house help support me on a daily bases. I also write notes down to help me accomplish things that I have to do. Objects around my house help support me in many ways because I am so reliant on things that I have. Yes, I can live with our many of my supports but my family and animals are not one of them. Modern conveniences are nice but I could just use calendars to help me keep my appointments. My animals wake me up so I could live with out the alarm it would be difficult some days but I would probably train myself.
I have had injuries to my hand and back problems with in the last 2 years and I can tell you I appreciate my body and what I can do. I believe that these short times with a disability helped me understand what I do not what to live with out. I praise and have the utmost respect for people who have no choice but I have gained a respect for the purpose of things. My daughter has recently smashed and broke her pinky finger and because she is so active the doctor and I decide to cast the whole hand. She is having to learn to adapt. The thing is she figures it out quickly. We as human beings learn to adapt and change very easily that sometimes we forget about the old way.  A support that I forgot about was my orthodontics and my family. My family supports me emotional in many ways and it would be hard to live with out them.

My Connections to Play WEEK 4 (educ 6161)

The Pictures I included here are pictures of my children playing with Lego's, playing with cars and trucks, and dressed up for Halloween. Included these pictures because when I was younger I loved to play we Lego's, cars and trucks and my sister and I liked to play dress up. We more liked to dress our cat and dogs up but we enjoyed playing dress up.

Play has been a essential part of my youth and into adulthood. I played sports when I was younger and I also had many free time play. I remember playing cars with one of my friends for hours in my hall way. I also remember my sister and I playing with our blankets on the clothes line building a house in our back yard. My mom allowed us to have an imagination and explore our world. We were allowed to play outside. We rode our bikes all over the town and during the summer we would play at the park. We had a swimming pool in our back yard and we would create all types of different worlds while we were swimming. During the fall we would rake the leaves up and play in them. I remember one year that my sister and foster sister stuffed me with leaves. I itched for hours afterwards. My parents supported my play by allowed me to explore and create without extreme boundaries. I believe that because of my free play is why I have fun sitting down with my children and playing with them. I love building Lego's with them. They love having me play Play Doh with them. I do this because I love them I just cannot handle the smell of the Play Doh. I love taking my children for walks in the woods and watching them explore. We go on bike rides and they also help me work in the yard. Planting flowers and a gardening is fun for them. They love to play in the dirt and getting dirty. I believe that because of how my parents were with me allowed me to have the foundation to allow my children to play without too much structure.

Play has defiantly change since I was a child. Electronics and technology are contributing factors. Other contributing factors is violence in cities and the fear of someone kidnapping your child. Where I live I do not have to keep a close eye on my children because we live in the country but many children in the cities and towns have to be watched closely. When parents get in trouble for allowing their child to play at the park without supervision I know our world has changed. My children have way more electronics then I ever had. They relax with a movie or a game. When I was a child quietly siting in your room was the way to unwind. Free play I feel in more structured because of the types of toys that are on the market. I was watching a commercial about a car set for preschools that talked to them and told them where their car was and what it was doing. Right now I am listening to my children play with Lego's and they are building and creating conversations. They are build a world among themselves and they toys are not telling how to think and what to do. I see more and more toys do not allow for imagination.